'non-teratogenic' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'teratogenic' from Greek 'teras' meaning 'monster' and 'genes' meaning 'born of, produced by'.

'Teratogenic' evolved from the Greek word 'teratogenes', and with the addition of the prefix 'non-', it became 'non-teratogenic'.

Initially, 'teratogenic' referred to substances causing birth defects, and 'non-teratogenic' was coined to describe substances that do not cause such defects.